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Converting images to a different file format

Imagine that our current working-directory contains three JPEGs: [alps-13.jpg, alps-78.jpg, alps-91.jpg].

The predefined task convert will convert images to the format specified by the -of command-line option.

anchor -t convert -of png -o C:\Users\owen\Desktop

This produces the following files in C:\Users\owen\Desktop\convert_20.31.08: [13.png, 78.png, 91.png]

Preserving the image file-name

To similarly convert but keep the full image file-name preserved add the -ip command-line option:

anchor -ip -t convert -of png -o C:\Users\owen\Desktop

This produces instead: alps-13.png alps-78.png and alps-91.png.

Outputting to a specific output-directory (avoiding creating a subdirectory)

Note how the output-directory becomes a newly created subdirectory convert_20.31.08 of what is passed to the -o option.

However, the behavior isn’t always desired, and the -oo command-line option will disable it, otherwise accepting an identical argument to -o.

anchor -t convert -of png -oo C:\Users\owen\Desktop\desired_output_directory\

This creates the C:\Users\owen\Desktop\desired_output_directory\ directory, and outputs to it.

Preserving relative file-paths and any non-image-files

This command will convert images from a source directory to a target directory, while preserving file-names and subdirectory-structure and any other non-image files in the directory (via the -ic command line option).

anchor -i c:\foo\source\ -ip -ic -t convert -of png -oo c:\bar\destination\

Copying files

To copy images, use the predefined task copy.

By default, it will find image files, and copy them to the output-directory, using the varying parts of the filenames.

anchor -i c:\foo\source\ -t copy -oo c:\bar\destination\

Preserving file-names

To preserve file-names, the -ip command-line option is added.

anchor -i c:\foo\source\ -ip -t copy -oo c:\bar\destination\

This also preserves subdirectory hierarchy.

Suppressing subdirectory hierarchy

To preserve file-names but suppress subdirectory hierarchy, the -os command-line option is added.

anchor -i c:\foo\source\ -ip -t copy -oo c:\bar\destination\ -os

Copying non-image files

The copy task can be applied to any type of input. Use a file-filter on, the -i command-line option to search for particular types of file extension - overriding the default behavior which only looks for images.

e.g. to search for text files non-recursively and copy:

anchor -i "c:\foo\source\*.txt" -ip -t copy -oo c:\bar\destination\

But to search recursively and copy:

anchor -i "c:\foo\source\**.txt" -ip -t copy -oo c:\bar\destination\